Meet the Leidos Biomedical Research team: 5 minutes with Braulio Cabral, Ph.D.
Dr. Braulio Cabral is the Director of Bioinformatics and Computational Science Directorate at Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNL), which is operated by Leidos Biomedical Research. His work involves gathering data on cancer and infectious diseases and utilizing that data to further examine these diseases to help those effected. Take a peek into a recent Q&A with Braulio about his team’s work.
To those who don’t fully understand your role, it may sound a bit complex. How would you describe this job to an 8th grader?
I lead a team of very smart people helping scientists use information technologies to analyze cancer and infectious diseases such as Ebola, Zika, and COVID-19-related data to learn more about the diseases to help patients.
Why did you pursue a STEM career? How did you get where you are today?
I was attracted to IT very early; my first job out of high school was in a medical manufacturing company where we used applications written in BASIC programming language to calculate SixSigma in quality controls. I found it fascinating how you could use technology to automate tasks that would take a long time if done manually.
Since then, I've been exposed to many areas of IT, including electronic data interchange and data standards, network management, information security, bioinformatics, high-performance computing, and IT project management.
I got to where I am with dedication, persistence, and belief in my colleagues. I see myself as a servant leader. You may not hear my name mentioned in many of the initiatives I participate in, but I am behind the scenes ensuring that each member of the team is giving his or her full potential and is successful. I believe in managing resources, but leading people. Good leaders are made by the people surrounding them.
What makes you proud to be part of the team operating FNL?
The passion people have for what they do at FNL. Everyone believes that what they do has a positive impact on humanity. Working to combat diseases and improve health is a great endeavor and something to be proud of.
If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Portugal! Even though I've been to Europe many times, I have not had the chance to go to Portugal. I love the language and the culture. From what I hear, the food is excellent too. I cannot wait to try "Bacalhau a minhota” (codfish minhota style) and visit Portugal’s many castles and monuments.
